


Couplet

by DrHu



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route Spoilers, Fluff, One Shot, Post-Time Skip, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2019-12-06
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21690943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrHu/pseuds/DrHu
Summary: In the midst of the war, Byleth and Claude find a brief reprieve in their shared love of flight.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 75





	Couplet

**Author's Note:**

> I love.... Claude, haha. 
> 
> I feel just a tiny bit guilty since the title is a reference to _Hubert's_ A support with the player character, but I guess he'll have to forgive me since the poetry in that support was so beautiful I just had to use it as inspiration! 
> 
> As is the case for many Fire Emblem games, flier classes are godly - my chosen end class for my Byleth--thus the class she is here--is either Falcon Knight or Dark Flier (courtesy of the datamines of upcoming DLC...); distinctions between the two are unimportant for this. 
> 
> The name for Claude's white wyvern was taken from a vote Joe Zieja okayed on his Discord server. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

Byleth felt restless. 

With the Great Bridge of Myrddin captured, there was a considerable amount of work to be done. The influx of new troops and supplies from the now-unified Alliance were to be consolidated, and countless war meetings were to be had in preparation for the eventual march onto Empire territory. Messengers flew, reports scattered, battalions were organized, and she felt she barely had a chance to breathe. 

What she wouldn’t give for just a moment of peace, for a few minutes all to herself. Just a little time to fly, to soar through the open sky and feel the wind rivet through her hair, chilling the disquiet within her. 

But indulging in such desires felt selfish. And so Byleth kept these thoughts to herself, for a time. 

She’d try to keep her mind occupied tending to her falicorn. Cordelia looked agitated herself, shuffling her wings in a vain attempt to stretch them out. Byleth couldn’t help but feel apologetic; the poor thing probably felt as cooped up as she did. She murmured soft encouragements, promising the falicorn that they would be able to fly soon. 

At least Claude’s new wyvern kept things refreshing. Byleth was dazzled by Omar’s resplendent white scales, a stark contrast from any other wyvern she’d seen. He was an energetic, sweet thing, always fighting for a chance to lick her face whenever it was her turn to feed him. He was oddly attached to Cordelia as well, and the falicorn in turn had a strange tolerance for the wyvern. 

“I had them both in Derdriu during the five years you were gone. I guess even Cordelia got attached,” Claude laughed. “Seems he recognizes you too, from all the stories I’ve told him!” 

Byleth raised an eyebrow. “You told your wyvern about me?” 

At this, Claude fumbled, his ears turning slightly pink as he tried to cover his tracks. She shook her head and smiled as she threw another scrap of meat into Omar’s gaping maw. 

After another round of war council meetings, she felt she was about to burst as she marched out of the cardinals’ room. Byleth went to the bridge leading to the cathedral and gazed out over the edge, breathing in the crisp air. Had she a pair of wings, she might have leapt right over the side herself. 

It took a few minutes before she noticed Claude a ways down, clutching a stack of missives while staring out from the side of the bridge. She instantly recognized that look of frustrated longing, and she realized she wasn’t the only one feeling stifled by the constant stream of logistics. 

A streak of mischief suddenly gripped her. The restlessness boiled over, and the thought of doing something rebellious, something a little wild, was too enticing for her to resist. Doing her best to act casually, Byleth sauntered up next to Claude. With the swiftness and ease of a master, his discontent was tucked away, replaced by a familiar, distant smile. 

“Hey there, my friend. I take it you needed some fresh air as well?” 

Had she not known Claude as well as she did, Byleth would have never noticed the slight edge to his words, the tautness in his tone. He truly was a champion of false smiles, a contrast to her own visage of stoicism. But perhaps because of that they understood each other, enough to see past the masks. 

“I did. The bridge has the best view. Enough to...take my mind off some things.” 

She leaned closer, enough to where their arms touched. Claude’s shoulders relaxed visibly, and the distant smile morphed into something smaller, something a bit more genuine. It was a tired smile, a smile befitting a normal man rather than the ideal of a shining leader.

“It’s been pretty busy these past few weeks, hasn’t it?” he mused. “Not a bad thing, considering the circumstances. I just wish that…” 

“We had more space to breathe?” Byleth finished. 

He grunted in agreement. She gestured at the papers in his hand. “What are those?” 

“Inventory logs I still need to look over for Seteth. With all the new support we’re getting it’s just a constant barrage of these. I’ll need to get these done before the next shipment arrives.” 

“I see. I’ll take those then.” 

“Wait, what--” 

With an agility that surprised him, Byleth plucked the logs right from his fingers and danced out of his reach. She waved them at him just as a breeze came through, ruffling the papers in a way that made him nervous. There was a look in her eyes he’d rarely seen, a look he was more accustomed to seeing on his own face. 

“Teach, what are you doing?” 

Byleth flipped through the stack. “I told you, I’m taking these.” 

Claude cocked an eyebrow. “And doing what with them, exactly? You don’t look like you’re going to finish those for me.” 

“No, I’m not.” 

“Then I’ll need them back.” 

Just when he tried to approach, she smiled, raising the papers above her head. The wind started up again, and Claude didn’t like how loose her grip was. 

“If you want them back, then you’ll have to catch me!” 

Byleth spun and sprinted down the bridge, away from the cathedral. Hissing a low curse, Claude took off after her. They dodged around corners and narrowly wove between surprised soldiers as he chased her through the monastery. 

He wasn’t paying close attention to where she was going, not until he thought he lost her for a split second. Claude found himself near the stables for the flying mounts, situated on higher ground within Garreg Mach to make dispatch easier. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a familiar shock of green hair, and he jumped into action again. Wheeling into the open barn, he saw Byleth already saddled atop her falicorn, leading it to the open ledge that was used for takeoff. She turned and winked, taunting him with the stack of logs once more. 

“Teach…” 

“I haven’t seen Omar in action yet,” she said. “I’m quite curious over whether he can keep up with Cordelia.” 

Claude laughed, suddenly understanding. He played along, too invigorated from the chase to stop. “Sounds like you’re looking for a challenge, my friend. Not just a challenge, a defeat at that!” 

Her eyes glimmered. The logs were safely tucked away in a bandolier pouch; Claude knew there was no reason to worry over them in Byleth’s hands. 

“Well then, we’ll have to see, won’t we?” 

Winking, she spurred her steed forward. Cordelia’s obsidian wings burst open with a powerful gust, and the falicorn let out a happy bray as she galloped forward. They launched off the ledge, falling several meters before arcing back up in the air. With the blood pounding in her ears, Byleth let out a whoop as she released several weeks’ worth of tension. The falicorn whinnied, looping and dipping freely in the open sky as she stretched her wings for the first time in ages. 

Claude almost forgot himself, entranced by the sight. A rustle to the side brought him back to his senses, and he spotted Omar yipping at the gate to his enclosure. The young lord quickly released the wyvern, throwing himself over his back once he was properly saddled. Omar wriggled in excitement as he eagerly approached the ledge. 

“Alright, buddy, let’s do this,” Claude muttered in encouragement. The wyvern roared and leapt from the stony precipice. For a few seconds they were in freefall, and Claude felt that familiar adrenaline rush, that plummet of his heart as he watched the ground grow closer. But Omar’s leathery wings unfurled, and with another triumphant cry, they sailed away from the earth. 

Claude directed his mount to the black streak flitting above the monastery. Byleth kept herself just out of reach, flying circles around him as he approached. He would never tire of the sight of her atop her steed; Byleth was regal and poised when she was in flight, always working in unison with her mount. Her faint smile held the thrill of a challenge; Claude knew that the chase was far from over. 

He figured it would be more fun to keep up the act. “You should hand over those logs now, my friend. Before I end up embarrassing you too much when I take them myself.” 

She came to stop, ostensibly floating a few meters above him. Byleth’s smile grew as she said, “You should be more worried over not embarrassing yourself, Claude. I would hope that new armor from Nardel isn’t just for show.” 

Claude’s hands flexed around Omar’s reigns. “You know me, Teach. I’m just as much bite as I am bark.” 

“Show me what you can do, then.” 

And with that, she was off. Cordelia folded her wings as they took a sharp dip, rocketing into a wide arc that put quite a bit of distance between her and the wyvern rider. Grinning, Claude directed Omar with a cry, and the chase was back on. 

Atop their mounts, Byleth and Claude expertly navigated the skies while keeping a close eye on each other. It was like a game of tag for them; Claude would dip in closer, and Byleth would simply glide away, just out of reach. Sometimes she would taunt him, rolling underneath him before making a sudden turn. He laughed, a loose, easy sound. He was in no rush to finish their little game. 

Yet it was a rare moment for them, to see each other in flight so close. Even in training, they didn’t have many chances like this to challenge each other. As confident as he’d sounded before, Claude found Byleth a slippery one to pursue. Cordelia was as fast as she was precise, able to glide further and swifter on a single beat of her wings than he thought possible. Rider and mount were truly in sync, as the falicorn responded easily to Byleth’s commands, carrying out even the sharpest of maneuvers without effort. It was easy to tell that the two had been together for a long time. 

For Byleth, Claude was just as tricky. Just when she thought she’d gotten a grasp of how far Omar’s wings could carry them, he’d adjust and ruin her calculations. What Claude lacked in speed, he made up for in power and unorthodoxy. The gust drawn from Omar’s wings felt like it could blow away even the birds, and Claude adapted to any surprise tactic on her part with ease. He’d drastically improved in the five years she’d been asleep, and she couldn’t be prouder. 

Together they sped through the wide expanse over Garreg Mach, circling around each other in like a band constantly being stretched and released. Children who happened to look overhead would point and gape, and others would stand transfixed for a few minutes, watching the two spin through the air. They danced together, a whirlwind of black paired with a flash of white. Twisting and falling, only to come back together to start again. Beautifully in sync, the two riders climbed and climbed and climbed, until they were barely visible against the scattered clouds… Only to sail back down to the earth. Falicorn and wyvern waltzed around chimneys, around the tall towers of the monastery, across the beautiful glass adorning the cathedral. Scales and feathers wove together to create a breathtaking aerial display, one that left its audience in awe long after they flew out of sight.

Their flight continued, bringing them to the outskirts of the town. They were lower to the ground now, relaxing into a straight glide above the treetops. Claude took the opportunity to dip in a bit closer. For once, Byleth humored him and didn’t pull away. Their eyes locked, and he grinned. 

“As fun as this has been, I still need those papers, you know!” he shouted. 

Byleth wiggled the pouch she’d stowed them in. “Come closer then, and maybe I’ll give them to you!” 

He laughed, and Omar edged ever closer. Leaning just a bit off to the side, it looked like he was poised to reach over and snatch them from her. Though she would really wait until they were safely on the ground, Byleth teased him anyway, waving the pouch as if she was about to toss it. 

Yet just when he was about to suggest a landing, something slammed right into his face. A poor bird had been unlucky enough to have been caught in their path. Claude recoiled, temporarily blinded on one side. It was enough to set Omar off balance, and his rider suddenly slipped right off the saddle. 

_“Claude!”_

Claude felt something else slam into him before he felt that familiar rush of freefall once more. The wind was knocked right out of him when he crashed into the ground with a soft thud, before rolling to a stop.

After several seconds, he dared to crack an eye open, realizing that something was also holding him very close. He was horrified to realize his landing had been softened by his own former professor, having caught him midfall and positioned their bodies in a way that she would hit the earth first. 

“Byleth?!” he called, quickly rising onto his arms. “Oh stars, Byleth, are you--” 

He was interrupted by laughter. _Her_ laughter. Claude blinked, mystified at the sight of his companion laughing heartily beneath him. Her hair was splayed wildly around her, her body twisted in an odd position as she lay against the dirt, yet she seemed unharmed. 

“Byleth?” 

Eventually she calmed down, beaming up at him. “I’m so sorry, Claude. I’m fine, really.” 

“Did you--Are you sure you’re not hurt anywhere?” 

“Oh, my back might be a little sore for a while but we weren’t as high up as I thought.” She locked eyes with him again, surprising him when she reached out and gently pressed her fingers against his cheek. “What about you? Not hurt, I hope?” 

“I--N-no, I’m fine. Thanks to you.” 

“Good, good.” 

She took the hand away and stretched, a look of deep satisfaction across her face. For a moment, Claude couldn’t look away. Her cheeks were rosy, and she looked more relaxed than he’d seen her in ages. With her lying beneath him like this, he felt a very strong urge to lean down and-- 

Something wet and gooey swept across his face. Claude yelped, flinching away from it. Byleth laughed again as Omar appeared to shower his master with wyvern kisses. Feeling something nudge her hand, she looked up to find Cordelia leaning down over her. Byleth happily scratched the falicorn’s chin. 

“Found us, did you?” 

Cordelia snorted quietly, nudging her head. Her master rubbed her neck reassuringly. 

“I’m fine, I promise. I’m glad you got to stretch your wings a bit. I won’t let you go so long again without another flight, I swear.” 

Neighing softly in reply, the falicorn gave her a soft nip before walking off to graze. Byleth sighed as she relaxed onto the earth, staring up at the blue sky they were just flying in. By now, Claude had managed to calm Omar down, and the wyvern was peacefully resting next to them. His rider rolled onto his back as well, close enough that their shoulders were touching. 

“Sorry about that. I really should have waited until we’d landed,” he apologized. Byleth shook her head. 

“I shouldn’t have teased you like that. Not exactly setting a good example for flight safety, am I?” 

She tossed the bundle of papers back to him. Claude caught it with an indifferent flick of the wrist, having lost all interest in the logs at this point. It was hard for anything else to catch his attention, not when Byleth was staring so softly at him. He let out a long breath, feeling all the tension from the past few weeks drain right out of him. A gentle breeze kicked up, blowing strands of her hair about in ways that made it so tempting to reach out and brush them back into place. Laying side by side, underneath the beautiful sky, he couldn’t think of another place he wanted to be. 

“We should get back,” she suggested. 

“Yeah.” 

But they continued to lay there, unmoving. Both of them could almost hear Seteth’s disapproval at their little field trip, yet neither of them cared. They were in their own pocket of the world, caught in a rare, peaceful moment of no responsibilities. Smiling, Claude turned his face back up towards the sky and closed his eyes. 

“If it wasn’t for the bird, I totally would have won.” 

Byleth laughed. “Whatever you say, Claude.” She was happy that he was back to his old self again. 

As he rested, she watched as two birds flitted about. They circled each other before nestling together on a nearby branch. She listened to the merry duet they chirped, free and light as the soft winds billowing around them. The disquiet having finally dispersed within her, Byleth threw her arms above her head and stretched. Just a little longer, she thought. They had a bit more time.

**Author's Note:**

> The tradition of naming mounts after iconic characters from previous FE entries continues.... (Though I almost went for a different one when I realized the overlap with Lysithea's family name from the Japanese version of the game... Whoops.) 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Thank you for reading!


End file.
